“I know. This is part of who I am. I wanted to share that with you. You told me that you’d always wanted to try skydiving, to know what it felt like to lose control. Well, that’s something I understand. After I went through jump school, I loved it so much I took civilian classes so I could skydive whenever I wanted. I wish I could be the one to take you down, but I’m only licensed to skydive alone. I’m not qualified as a skydiving instructor. So I did the next best thing and found you a great divemaster. But it’s up to you. We can go home right now or we can take the leap together.”
Penny stared at him, fear and longing clear in her wide-eyed expression. She turned in her seat and looked at the planes behind them again. Then she gave a little nod of her head.
“I want to take the leap.”
Matt grinned. “Come on. This is going to be fun.”
* * * * *
THEY WERE MET on the tarmac by a guy named Carter. He was a friendly, thirty-ish blond guy who looked more suited to surfing than flying a plane. Penny swallowed her nerves. Matt had said this guy was one of the best tandem instructors in the area, and he wouldn’t compromise when it came to her safety. That much she knew for sure.
After signing a never-ending stream of paperwork, they joined a class of four other students. For the next hour they learned about parachutes and the safety procedures necessary for a safe skydiving experience. Penny was happy to learn that in addition to a reserve parachute in case the first didn’t open, there was also an automated activation device called an AAD that would open the chute below a certain altitude even if the instructor didn’t. She let out an audible sigh of relief and felt Matt’s chest shaking with silent laughter behind her. She elbowed him and gave him an evil look. In response, he held her closer and kissed her ear.
“I’m only teasing you, love. It’s very safe.”
“I know.” Penny really did know that it was an extremely safe sport when you followed the safety rules, but it still went against human nature to jump out of an airplane. She was happy to have all the automatic safety features available just in case.
After the instructor demonstrated the safety harness they would wear, it was time to get ready for their jumps. “Have you changed your mind yet?” Matt whispered.
“Not yet. Ask me again when we’re actually on the plane.”
They changed clothes into bright red jumpsuits and adjusted their safety gear. As the instructor checked her harness, she started to feel the first stirrings of real fear. It was fascinating and scary to think she’d be jumping out of an airplane that day!
The ride up in the small prop plane was an event in itself. Penny was used to large aircraft where she could barely tell they were in the air. The floor of the plane vibrated with the drone of the engine and every air pocket they flew through made the plane rock and bump. Once they were above twelve thousand feet in altitude, the first students took their jumps. All the other students in their class had jumped before and one even had his individual license like Matt.
“For safety reasons, I can’t jump right after you and Carter, but it won’t be much of a delay. Are you ready for this?” Matt had been holding her hand since the plane took off. Penny gave him a bright smile, hoping to reassure him.
“Okay, let’s go.” Carter led them to the door. They were the only ones left besides Matt and another dive instructor. All the things they’d learned in the safety portion of class ran through Penny’s mind on a loop. Once they exited the plane they’d fall at about 125 miles per hour.
“Are you ready?” Matt shouted.
Penny was too terrified to do anything other than nod. She was strapped to her tandem instructor so tightly that she had just enough leeway to look over her shoulder. She couldn’t see Carter’s eyes through his dark glasses, but when he nodded at her, she experienced a rush of excitement. The adrenaline in her system was so strong she was shaking.
She had a sudden, insane urge to ask Matt to call the whole thing off. To have them turn the plane around and put them back on the ground. Where it was safe.
Then she straightened her spine. She could do this. No more playing it safe. This was the chance to do something she’d always wanted to do, and she wasn’t going to run away from it.
She was ready to fly.
“I’m ready. Let’s do it,” Penny shouted back.
The instructor nudged her toward the door, and they balanced there for a moment. The sky stretched out below them forever, an endless expanse of blue and white. Penn
y let out a small squeak. It was incredibly windy and cold. So much colder than the weather on the ground. The air slapped at them mercilessly until the instructor pushed off.
Penny opened her mouth to scream, but any sound she made was swallowed in the rush of air. She instinctively closed her eyes but then a second later she forced them open. It was disorienting to feel herself in motion without being able to see where she was going. Plus, she didn’t want to miss a thing.
It was a curious feeling, to fall and fall and fall. It was curious and wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. She’d expected it to be frightening, but it wasn’t. Not really. It felt like she was gliding.
I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, she thought as they flew over the wide green landscape. Everything looked so small from this high and the only things that mattered were the wind in her face and the incredible sense of weightlessness.
There was a slight jerk when the parachute deployed.
She glanced up at Carter. They’d learned beforehand that the force of air in free fall was so great that they wouldn’t be able to communicate by talking. He gave her a hand motion that meant “legs up.” It would be less than a minute before they hit the ground, and she had to be prepared to land properly. She gave him a thumbs-up so he’d know she was okay.
Understatement of the year. She was more than okay. She was in love with a man who made her feel everything she’d thought didn’t exist. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. There were no words to describe how it felt that Matt had arranged this for her. He was always there for her, always looking for ways to help her and make her life better.
“I love you.”